java documentation from source ?

Question

i know that we can create documentation from java source files. but how to do it?. thanks in advance.

Answer 1

Gowth, reade the javadoc docs:

javadoc - The Java API Documentation Generator

Generates HTML pages of API documentation from Java source files. This document contains JavadocTM examples for Microsoft Windows.

http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.4.2/docs/tooldocs/windows/javadoc.html

Answer 2

The javadoc command is used to turn Javadoc-style comments into HTML pages. Sun also provides a tutorial on how to write doc comments for the Javadoc tool.

There are also other tools, such as Doxygen, that perform similar tasks.

Answer 3

It pretty much boils down to this: specially formatted comments and an application called javadoc. Note that you will need a Java Development Kit (JDK) installed; JRE won't suffice.

Say you want to generate Javadoc for a function setScheduling(). You would format the code as follows:

/**
 * Internal function that signals the current thread to be in a scheduling
 * state. In this state, it cannot be interrupted.
 * 
 * @param scheduling
 */
private void setScheduling(boolean scheduling) {
    this.scheduling = scheduling;
}

Note the two stars to begin the comment, indicating it is JavaDoc: /**

I highly recommend developing Java in an established IDE such as Eclipse or NetBeans. It will make generating JavaDocs as easy as hitting Project, Generate Javadoc.

Answer 4

As a standalone tool(apart from IDE support) you can look at Java2HTML, quite simple and straightforward for operating outside the IDE.